Why eWaste Recycling is Important for the Environment

As technology reaches further into the everyday lives of increasing numbers of people, the necessity of e-waste recycling becomes more and more important. In fact, it has been said that in the recycling of waste, electrical items is one of the fastest growing industries at present. Most people are aware that the technologies we use, from computers to microwaves to televisions, all contain a certain amount of substances which are very harmful to the environment.

The convenience of devices like mobile smart phones, touch screen computers, laptops, televisions, tablet devices and many others is underlined by an innate life-span: new devices, updates and upgrades are constantly being created which supersede the previous incarnation. Each of these items will then be disposed of, and unfortunately in many cases they find their resting place in a landfill. Recycling of electrical items in this way creates significant environmental issues. Chemicals including cyanide and sulphuric acid can be released through the destruction of common electronics, which then contaminate the water supply and can have severe consequences for the ecosystem. Through natural processes of erosion and rainfall, the chemical contaminants make their way into the ocean and perhaps even into drinking water. After all, it is the natural cycle of water which evaporates from the surface of a lake or sea to fall as rain elsewhere, and chemicals can easily be carried in this way. Activities in some less economically developed countries, where a proportion of income is generated by using labor to take apart these waste electrical items to salvage any valuable components like circuit board copper, creates a volume of chemical off-spill that some regions have become uninhabitable.

Reusing or properly disposing of waste electrical items is essential for protecting the future of the environment. Making people aware of the importance of protecting the planet’s resources has to include an understanding of what happens to items sent to landfill and their impact on the global environmental situation. If you live in Los Angeles county, be sure to hire professional Los Angeles eWaste recycling services to dispose of electronic waste.